Inferno (Robert Langdon, #4) in Daily Show / Colbert Report / Nightly Show / The Opposition

Jan 15, 2013 Linda rated it liked it

Shelves: chcpl

I can't decide if I'm in Bobby Ewing's shower or Bob Hartley's (Bob Newhart) bedroom.

I devoured this book in less than 48 hours - not bad for a 464 paged book. For some reason, Robert Langdon now has Tom Hank's voice in my head. I got a good view of parts of the world I'm sure that I will never see wrapped in a story so outlandish it must have started as a lie by a seven-year old.

Not a bad way to spend my weekend. ...more

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May 15, 2013 Danielle Dandreaux rated it really liked it

I read Dan Brown's recent book without any knowledge of the topic of the book. With the Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown helped create a genre that has quickly become a favorite of mine. I enjoy the conspiracy theories explored within this genre. I also really like to learn things while I am reading a good story and this genre tends to include many historical references and also some science.

Inferno explores the symbology of Dante's Inferno. While reading the book, I often found myself wanting to go bac I read Dan Brown's recent book without any knowledge of the topic of the book. With the Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown helped create a genre that has quickly become a favorite of mine. I enjoy the conspiracy theories explored within this genre. I also really like to learn things while I am reading a good story and this genre tends to include many historical references and also some science.

Inferno explores the symbology of Dante's Inferno. While reading the book, I often found myself wanting to go back and read Dante's Inferno that was required reading in high school; however, without an interesting expert like Robert Langdon to help me understand everything I'm not sure I would enjoy it. Dante lived in Italy from the year 1265 through 1321. A majority of the book takes place in Italy. Don't be surprised if reading this book creates a yearning for travel to see all of magnificent churches and museums described.

This is also the second book in this genre that I have read recently that discusses virus/disease epidemics. It is not a topic that I like to become engrossed. This is especially true when discussed in the current book with the Malthusian theory of population. There are many interesting but scary concepts to theorize.

The book begins abruptly and dramatically. The reader should be ready for the unexpected. Dan brown did an excellent job of writing in a manner that the reader experiences the same confusion and disorientation that is experienced by Langdon. There are several twists and turns that I never saw coming taking the story and turning it upside down. I became more engrossed in the story at this point and really impressed with the creativity of the author! It was a little slow to begin for me. Towards the end of the book, I hated to put it down even for a second!

"The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis. For Langdon, the meaning of these words had never felt so clear: In dangerous times, there is no sin greater than inaction." ...more

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Aug 21, 2013 Andy rated it really liked it

More Dan Brown page-turner entertainment, with a very important subject, so better than your average thriller.

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Jun 01, 2013 Sandy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, 2013, 2017

Another great book by Dan Brown. I absolutely love how he creates a story but includes so much historical information as well as descriptions of the cities he takes you to and the general subject. This book has almost too much in the way of descriptions when you consider the art world and the subject of bio chemicals and the ECDC.

This time Langdon finds himself in Florence, Italy with no idea how he got there. He and Sienna, his doctor, end up on a journey all over Italy, not knowing who to trus ...more

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Jul 22, 2013 Judy rated it liked it

Fasten your seat belt and perhaps don a crash helmet--Harvard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon, is at it again. This time he wakes up in a hospital in Florence to discover that he has limited memory and that he has been shot in the head. And then the chaos begins. In this outing, the plot is centered around Dante's Inferno and, while the information about Dante's Inferno was very, very interesting, I have to confess that I skimmed most of the chase scenes. And,given that this is a Dan Brow ...more

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May 09, 2013 Bekah Porter-Sandy rated it really liked it

Message to all the Dan Brown haters: Shut up. Seriously. Abandon the snobbery you maintain just for snobbery's sake.
What is there NOT to like about Brown's books?
1) They move quickly (which is not NEARLY as easy of a style to write as people assume).
2) They include history and art (and Brown's research and massive comprehension of these subjects are seemingly effortlessly inserted throughout the book, again a very difficult task for a writer to accomplish.)
3) They always have some twist, which i Message to all the Dan Brown haters: Shut up. Seriously. Abandon the snobbery you maintain just for snobbery's sake.
What is there NOT to like about Brown's books?
1) They move quickly (which is not NEARLY as easy of a style to write as people assume).
2) They include history and art (and Brown's research and massive comprehension of these subjects are seemingly effortlessly inserted throughout the book, again a very difficult task for a writer to accomplish.)
3) They always have some twist, which is FUN.
So, I guess I just don't get it. He writes entertaining books that contain massive amounts of historical context without making you feel like you're slogging through an onslaught of facts, and he does all this while captivating the attention of MILLIONS of readers, and YOU have the audacity to pretend that you're too good for him?
Get off it.
There's actually a pretty relevant bit in Inferno about this exact topic. The Divine Comedy (by Dante) was given the lesser categorization of comedy instead of the more respected title of tragedy by the higher-up muckety mucks of the time. Why? Because Dante wrote in the vernacular, rather than the high language of the time. And guess what? That stood the test of time EXACTLY BECAUSE it was written for the average reader rather than for the uppity literary echelon.
Now, am I saying Dan Brown is Dante? No. But he does present high concept ideas in an easy-to-read format that appeals to the everyday reader. And that's not a task that everybody can perform.
Just because somebody writes in a style that is simple to comprehend does not mean that he is a simple, lesser writer. In fact, it can be argued that doing so is actually more difficult and therefore more deserving of admiration.
MY GIGANTIC VENT ASIDE: I adored this book. I loved the central debate topic, and I was taken aback by the ending, and I certainly didn't see the final twist coming. Also, I read the whole thing in a day, which I like being able to do. Sometimes I want a book to be a fun, quick read. And Dan Brown delivers that, all while giving me interesting fodder for thought. ...more

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Jun 15, 2013 Alex rated it liked it

His writing hasn't gotten any better, but he does propel the story along.

I rooted for the bad guys on this one. Fortunately, they won! ...more

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May 31, 2013 Kathleen rated it really liked it

Shelves: thriller, fiction, science

Very entertaining.

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Jun 04, 2013 Kris rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book for the first 85% or so. I do love a good blockbuster, and this was going along nicely. Then some stupid twists and turns made it kinda ridiculous. Okay, totally rediculous.

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